Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Zurich: Being part of a FIFA World Cup is something that everyone involved in football dreams of. Be it as a fan in the stadium, cheering on your team and enjoying the atmosphere, or even as a player, vying for the ultimate prize and representing your country.
This dream came true for Ri Hyang Ok in a number of different ways. She played for her home country of DPR Korea at two FIFA Women’s World Cups, in 1999 and 2003 in the USA.
She did not get her hands on any silverware, with her team bowing out after the group stages both times, but that was not the end of the World Cup adventure for Ri.
Twelve years later, she was again part of a tournament, this time in Canada and in a completely different role. And she aims to be suiting up again with the whistle in hand during next year's FIFA Women's World Cup in France.
"As a player I never made it through to the final. The group phase was as good as it got and then we were on the plane back home. But I really wanted to experience another World Cup, so I asked myself, 'how can I do that?' " the Korean said in an interview with FIFA.com. And then inspiration came to her.
"I experienced the 1999 and 2003 World Cups as a player, and I was surprised to see female referees. That was so exciting, since I’d usually only seen male referees. I watched them during the matches and thought to myself: I’d like to follow in their footsteps and be like them, so I became a FIFA referee."
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/ri_hyang_ok.html
